Franz Boehme

Franz Boehme (15 April 1885-29 May 1947) was commander of the German XVIII Army Corps during World War II, fighting against Josip Broz Tito's Yugoslav partisans in the Balkans.

Biography
Franz Boehme was born on 15 April 1885  in Zeltweg, Styria, Austria-Hungary. He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I and was given command of the German 30th Infantry Division at the start of World War II after the Anschluss. From 16 September to 2 December 1941 he was Commander of Serbia during the war with Josip Broz Tito's Yugoslav Partisans, and he was responsible for executing 2,000 Jews and communists in Topola after 22 Wehrmacht soldiers were ambushed by partisans. Boehme implemented a policy where 100 Serbs would be executed for every German soldier killed and 50 for every German soldier wounded, leading to thousands dying in retaliatory massacres at the hands of the Wehrmacht. On 24 June 1944 he took command of the 2nd Panzer Army, succeeding Lothar Rendulic, and he was in command until 17 July. He ended the war as commander of the German 20th Mountain Army in Norway, having been commander-in-chief there from 8 January to 7 May 1945. Boehme was tried in the Hostages Trial division of the Nuremberg Trials, and on 29 May 1947 he jumped from the fourth floor of his prison rather than be transferred to Yugoslavia for trial and execution.